Pre-Teen
Titans will enjoy the colorful characters and pick
up and fight gameplay featuring their favorite heroes.
Please note: game might not be suitable for all (older)
ages. by Vaughn
Smith

July
18, 2006 - Even
though this current roster of teenage heroes has been
around for close to 25 years now, they're still the
new kids on the block. They've languished in relative
obscurity since the late 80's but returned to pop
culture with a vengeance a couple of years back, thanks
in part to that engaging theme song. I don't care
what you say, the TT theme is as classic as the original
Batman and Spider-Man themes. Reinventing TT for the
anime age was probably the single best idea DC ever
had. Slap some big round eyes on Robin and viola!
Instant 21st century makeover for characters that
are at least 3 times as old as the audience currently
digging their animated hijnks. It was no surprise
that a video game was in the works for the world's
youngest adventurers and I'm happy to report that
it's a decent fist fest and budget priced fun for
kids of all ages (as long as those ages end at around
12 or 13 tops).

Teen
Titans features a story mode that can be played alone
or with 3 other friends (PS2 owners require the multi-tap
for 4-player fun). The story is actually a little
a-typical involving the Titans being transported into
a video game where they must find the last boss to
exit this bizarre world. If anything the story allows
the player to excuse the cookie-cutter enemies and
obvious trappings of the beat-em-up genre as the game
is, in essence, a video game already. You'll even
find the characters breaking that "fourth wall"
and talking directly to you, the player. It's all
in good fun and if you're a fan of the show anyway
you'll take it in stride.

Controlling
the 5 main characters (Robin, Cyborg, Beast Boy, Raven
and Starfire) is a snap for the most part. While all
of the heroes have their own special moves and abilities,
they are well-balanced. Keeping them as equal as possible
allows the player(s) to play as their favorite hero,
while never being forced to play as a "lesser
than". However I highly encourage those players
who do play favorites to experiment with the other
characters as the special moves and abilities are
interesting and can alleviate some of the boredom
and repetition that definitely permeates the game
after awhile. Changing between Titans in a single
player game requires a touch of the d-pad and can
be done at anytime.

The
heroes all come equipped with a decent array of attacks
(ranged, strong and quick) and those can be powered
up. Special attacks can also be discovered and utilized
for each hero, while special team attacks add some
flavor to the fighting experience. Unfortunately the
camera can often be the heroes' worst enemy as offscreen
threats can (and will) attack relentlessly. The amount
of characters on the screen simultaneously can often
times be confusing as well, leading to moments of
"Who am I? Where am I?" especially if you're
playing alone while the game AI controls the other
characters you aren't using at the moment.

Story
mode consists primarily of clearing a room full of
enemies before being allowed to reach the next room
full of enemies. Eventually you'll arrive at one of
the 10 bosses located in the game which provide a
decent challenge. At the budget price of $19.99 Teen
Titans isn't the longest game you'll ever play, nor
will you want it to be given the repetitive game design.
The average gamer will defeat this video game within
a video game in just a few short hours. Progressing
through Story mode unlocks all sorts of goodies including
new characters and arenas for the Master of Games
mode. MoG mode takes place in arena settings and is
essentially just a big brawl mode. There are scads
of characters to unlock including enemies and bosses
from the game and other characters from the show which
will please fans of the Titans, even if the mode isn't
the deepest. Gamers will just find it fun experimenting
with all of the new moves and characters.

Visually
Teen Titans is a mixed bag. The characters are bright
and colorful and the animations are action-packed,
while the generic backgrounds will eventually lead
to some yawns. The frame rate struggles to keep up
the with action at almost every turn and leads to
many instances of dropped frames. I've already mentioned
the ADD camera which can be an extreme fuse-blower
depending on your (lack of) patience for such things.
The music is as generic as the backgrounds, but the
animated series voice actors have lent their talents
providing the game with more pop culture impact which
is sure to delight fans. And yeah, that infectious
theme song is also present and accounted for. Gotta
love that.

Ultimately
Teen Titans won't keep you interested forever. A2M
got enough elements right to make it an engaging romp
that fans of the series and comic book will enjoy
for X amount of time. The budget price is definitely
a deal-maker especially if you and your friends plan
on playing it quite a bit. The game is a mindless,
simplistic punching bag that will either be music
to your eyes, ears and thumbs or a crushing disappointment
for those looking for more depth (note to self: lower
your expectations of superhero games, dude). A rental
would certainly suffice for anyone but the most diehard
of Titans fans.

By
Vaughn SmithCCC
Site Director

Rating
out of 5

Teen
Titans (GC)

3.3

GraphicsThe
frame rate robs the overall quality, but the animation
and character design is very well done.

3.3

ControlAnyone
can pick up and play TT, but even with the extra
moves and combos the game definitely feels repetitive
after 30 minutes (or less).

3.8

Music
/ Sound FX / Voice ActingVoice
actors from the show is a highlight. The music
is "meh". Sound effects are decent and
punchy.

3.5

Play
Value5
characters to play as in Story mode, with dozens
more available Master of Games mode. TT is more
entertaining with a group.

3.5

Overall
Rating -
Good
Not an average. See Rating legend above for a
final score breakdown.

Preview
by Devin

Life
has never been too easy for young Dick Grayson. When
we were first introduced to him as young Robin, the
poor kid was referred to as a "Boy Wonder".
He could easily have been picked out of a crowd by the
green hot pants he wore, along with a tiny little yellow
cape and little green booties upon his feet. Let's not
forget the giant R on his chest, resembling the Scarlet
Letter.

Poor
kid.

As
fate would have it, one day the little snot nosed
brat would turn into a want to be badass. He lost
the Luke Skywalker comb over, got a real cape and
some steel-toed boots. He then ditched the shadow
of Batman and found himself a young gang of teenaged
superheroes. Say hello to the Teen Titans.

With
Robin moving on up in the world, it's only natural
that he and his team of Titans star in their own videogame.

Most
videogames based of a comic book series or movie adaptation
all boiling down to just one thing; beat 'em up. Unfortunately
Teen Titans doesn't look like it's going to offer
up much more than button mashing action adventure.

Teen
Titans does prove to possess a very slick presentation,
with fairly spacious 3D levels and an UI that resembles
the animation found in the popular WB hit cartoon.

Unfortunately
that's not where the similarities end for the Teen
Titans. Titans looks as though it is going to play
much like Gauntlet or even X-men Legends, with 4 players
on screen at a time. And since the Teen Titans feature
a roster of five superheroes, which means you'll have
one character waiting on deck. You'll actually be
able to use this in your strategy. If one of your
super cohorts tires out, you can switch him or her
up with a rested hero with a simple press of a button.

And
just like every other videogame based off a comic,
each hero has his or her own special abilities that,
yes you yourself can wield and abuse to your discretion.
For example, Beast Boy will have the abilities to,
yes, change into a creature of power! Through out
the game your characters will also learn new abilities.
Unfortunately you have no control over what abilities
you learn as your characters as the computer controls
the advancement.

Slated
for a 2006 release, Teen Titans looks like it will
be a for sure hit for fans of the cartoon.

Preview
by Gooseberry

Warner
Brothers Interactive has given publisher Majesco video
game rights to its popular animation series Teen Titans,
based on the adventures of teenage versions of DC
comic superheroes.

The
games will allow players to switch between characters
on the fly to take advantage of their unique super
powers.

"We
are excited to introduce these young superheroes to
the video game audience," said Ken Gold, vice
president of marketing at Majesco. "We are confident
that Teen Titans will appeal to video game players
of all ages."

A
Game Boy Advance title based on the license will be
released before the end of 2005, with GameCube, PlayStation
2, and Xbox versions following in 2006.